(LEAD) Samsung promises compensation for victims of illnesses at its chip plant

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. officially apologized and promised compensation Wednesday over the deaths and suffering of its semiconductor workers from illnesses that family members claim are work-related.

"Several workers at our production facilities suffered from leukemia and other incurable diseases, which also led to some deaths," Kwon Oh-hyun, the CEO of the electronics giant, said in a statement read at a press conference.